Rajnagar Marble: a Prominent Heritage Stone from Rajasthan, NW India

• Published in: Geoheritage 2022-03, Vol.14 (1), Article 4
• Main Authors: Garg, Sanchit, Agarwal, Pradeep, Ranawat, P. S., Kaur, Parminder, Singh, Amritpaul, Saini, Jaspreet, Pandit, Manoj K., Acharya, Kireet, Kaur, Gurmeet
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biogeosciences; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Historical Geology; Lakes; Landscape/Regional and Urban Planning; Marble; Memorials & monuments; Mineralogy; Original Article; Paleontology; Physical Geography; Quarries
• ISSN: 1867-2477; 1867-2485
• DOI: 10.1007/s12371-021-00621-4

The Rajnagar Marble deposits around Rajnagar and Kankroli towns in the Rajsamand District of south-central Rajasthan State make up an important marble occurrence in India. Although the Rajnagar Marble has been extensively used in monuments of Mewar region for centuries, it received recognition after its use in the stepped embankment and spectacularly carved pavilions (locally known as Nau Chauki ) on the embankment of the Lake Rajsamand, built during 1662–1676 CE. Several components of the Udaipur City Palace Complex and various historical monuments in the region, such as Moti Mahal on the embankment of Fateh Sagar Lake in Udaipur, Eklingji Temple and two adjoining lake dams, Jagdish Temple, components of Saheliyon-ki-Badi , scores of step wells and deity idols in and around Udaipur and cenotaphs of the royal family members at Ahar (1620 CE onwards), were built of Rajnagar Marble. These architectural structures have sustained the vagaries of nature for over five centuries, with hardly any noticeable signs of weathering and damage. The Rajnagar Marble is generally coarse-grained, compact dolomitic marble with low water absorption, high bulk density and high compressive and tensile strength, which collectively make it technically suitable for monuments. A unique use of this marble is in the plastering technique, locally called Ghutai , which involves the use of ground marble and slacked lime paste, that gives an aesthetic, washable, marble finish to the exterior and interior surfaces of the built structures. Rajnagar Marble is currently being excavated at several open quarries using both conventional and mechanised operations in Rajsamand District, Rajasthan. The Rajnagar Marble entered the global market during the late twentieth century with its export to the Middle East countries and Japan. At present, it is extensively used in the building and handicraft industries as well as in contemporary artworks. In light of a great variety of applications of the Rajnagar Marble and its use in the monuments and several architectural structures, we propose Rajnagar Marble to be designated as a Global Heritage Stone Resource from India.